ed face, even when Pa was
amiable and pleased by chance. Martie knew its every expression as well
as she knew the brown-and-white china, and the blue glass spoon holder,
and the napkin-ring with "Souvenir of Santa Cruz" on it. She could not
help wondering what they would make of the new house when they got into
it, and how the clumsy, shabby old furniture would look.

"Pa and Lyd," she said suddenly in a silence. Her tone was sufficiently
odd to arrest their immediate attention. "Pa--Lyd--I went in to see
Clifford this afternoon, and told him that I wanted to--to break our
engagement!"

An amazed silence followed. Teddy, chewing steadily on raisin cookies,
turned his eyes smilingly to his mother. He didn't quite understand,
but whatever she did was all right. Malcolm settled his glasses with
one lean, dark hand, and stared at his daughter. Lydia gave a horrified
gasp, and looked quickly from her father to her sister: a look that was
intended to serve the purpose of a fuse.

"How do you mean?" Malcolm asked painfully, at last.

"Well!" said Lydia, whose one fear was that she would not be able to
fully express herself upon this outrage.

"I mean that I--I don't truly feel that I love him," Martie said,
fitting her phraseology to her audience. "I respect him, of course, and
I like him, but--but as the time came nearer, I COULDN'T feel--"

Her voice dropped in an awful silence.

"You certainly waited some time to make up your mind, Martie," said her
father then, catching vaguely for a weapon and using it at random.

"But, Martie, what's your REASON?" Lydia overflowed suddenly. "What
earthly reason can you have--you can't just say that you don't want to,
now--you can't just suddenly--I never heard of anything so--so
inconsiderate! Why, what do you suppose everybody--"

"This is some of your heady nonsense, Martie," said her father's heavy
voice, drowning down Lydia's clatter. "This is just the sort of
mischief I expected to follow a visit from men as entirely
irresponsible as these New York friends of yours. I expected something
of this sort. Just as you are about to behave like a sensible woman,
they come along to upset you--"

"Exactly!" Lydia added, quivering. "I never said a word to you, Pa,"
she went on hurriedly, "but _I_ noticed it! I think it's perfectly
amazing that you should; of COURSE it's that! Martie listened to him,
and Martie walked with him, and several people noticed it, and spoke to
me about it